Dust and Demons
by SirSpangler
Summary: The Prothean Empire is crumbling. The AIs know as the Metacon are spreading across the galaxy, subjugating all it their path. In desperation, the Protheans enact edict 87, which calls for the unity of the galaxy-at all cost. The discovery of a planet with a extremely unique resource prompts an immediate invasion. To the Empire, it is their salvation. To Remnant, its called Dust
1. Signs

**READ- this stuff is vital for understanding (I apologize for the AU's length, but its important)**

 **Disclaimer- Do I own either Mass Effect or RWBY? I wish! Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) those belong to Bioware and Rooster Teeth respectively.**

 **This if my first Fanfic, as well as being self-betaed, so if you see any errors, please message me. Now, this is going to be a large author's note, because there is a lot to get through.**

 **First- THIS IS AN GRAND OVERVIEW STORY.** **What does that mean? It means that I will be focusing on the larger picture- i.e. events, and the effects caused by those events. I will be jumping around the timeline. For instance, chapters 1 and 2 take place at the same time, but chapter 3 jumps ahead 2 months. This fic will span several hundred years, and will tell the story on how Remnant went from a dangerous, backwater world; into a vast interstellar empire. In other words, your favorite characters will make appearances, but will NOT be the focus (stupid old age, killing our OTPs). Except team RWBY. They're ageless. Why? Because I love them, and I'm the one writing this fanfic! DEAL! (I may make a story explaining it later)**

 **Second- OCs.** **I'm going to be honest, I HATE OCs. Too often, they become Mary Sues. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this fic, OCs are inevitable. (Prothean Empire) Rest assured, not a single one will be even close to being OP. In fact, most will only be shown for a chapter or two, before moving on.**

 **Third- Technology and the Prothean Empire** **. Comparing Remnant (one world) to the Protheans (hundreds of worlds), one would naturally think the Protheans were more advanced. Amazingly, you'd be wrong (kinda). The Protheans, while masters of mass effect, had one major weakness. They used mass effect. An element that is, in short, extremely limiting. It is supposedly rare, created limits on ship size, limites expansion (slow FTL, need mass relays for true long ranged travel), and next to no energy weapons(short-ranged GARDAIN lasers…that's it). "But SirSpangler, we saw protheans using energy weapons in Javik's intro!" You are right; however, this is set during the Metacon war, which was early in the Prothean's expansion. Far before they developed such weapons. Meanwhile, Remnant had laser guns (as seen on Atlesian airships), energy cannons (spider droid, paladins), energy shields (Amity Colosseum), and crazy advanced shape-shifting weapons. Not to mention, they can augment their semblances, weapons, and even themselves, with dust. Remnant is already an advanced space civilization, just without the outer space part. That being said, this will not be a curve-stomp. The Protheans are not idiots. They will learn and adapt just the same as the Remnantians.**

 **(EDIT) I have received several reviews stating that dust doesn't work in space. I address this issue in chapter 2's AU, but people seem to merely read the first chapter before messaging me, so I will say it here. I KNOW DUST DOESN"T WORK IN SPACE. As I explained in the second chapter AU, I have a solution in mind. I cannot reveal that solution, as it would spoil a large chunk of the story, but rest assured, I have one. If you really want to know, send me a PM, and I'll fill you in.**

 **Lastly- Pairings:** **As I said, this won't really focus on individual characters; however, I happen to be a fan of white-rose and bumblebee, so you may see a couple hints for those.**

 **Sorry, I lied- timeframes:** **This will be set during the beginnings of the Metacon war, just as the Empire is starting to unite the galaxy against the AI menace. As for Remnant, it just won its war against Salem. Why? Because I've already got enough plotlines, I don't need Salem running around creating more.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

 **_Heavy Cruiser** _ **Fury of Ventouraus**_

 **17:49 Star-Cycle 34.16.3294** **PE**

 **In low Remnant orbit** Void Admiral Vijuss Sivect, commander of Conquer Battle-Group; gazed at the pristine garden world his fleet was currently orbiting. ' _Remnant'_ his mind supplied him, _'is simply beautiful'._ He was't wrong. Virtually untouched by the smog of industry, or the craters of war; as well as being covered in glistening seas, vast, green planes, and the oh-so unique crimson woods, it was indeed beautiful. A planet he could easily imagine living on, if the circumstances were different. Sadly, the circumstances were not different, and he had his orders. The fleet would live up to its name, and Remnant would be theirs.

"Admiral, we've reached optimal positioning for strategic bombardment." announced his helmsmen.

"Good, good…" muttered Vijuss.

He took a moment longer to regard the softly spinning world, knowing he was about to change its destiny forever.

"Begin."

 **Chief's house, Huo Kuana, Menagerie**

 **8:34 pm, Month of the seedling, year 84 PGW**

Ghira Belladonna is almost always busy. Ruling over the majority of the world's Faunus population is not, as they say, 'a walk in the park'. His days were always filled from the moment he got up, to the moment laid back down. In fact, the only real resting period he got was during dinner. For a short 45 minutes he could sit back and relax with his lovely wife. So, he was understandably pissed when a knock came from the door in the middle of those 45 minutes. That annoyance became confusion when he saw who it was. A teenaged deer Faunus that when by the name Tanner stood in his doorway. That by itself was no cause for concern, as villagers would often come to him seeking help or advice. What **was** a cause for concern was that Tanner worked at their only functioning CCT support tower. Their only means of communication to the rest of the world. Tanner was panting, out of breath from the mile and a half run it took to get here.

"Chief, you…, you..." He gulped and visibly collected himself, "You need to hear this."

"What's wrong boy? We get a message?" demanded Ghira.

"No sir, the network's gone down!"

Ghira felt his blood freeze. The last time something like that had happened, Remnant had been plunged into the largest recorded war in history.

"The entire network?" He asked.

"Yes sir, I know from the pings in the…"

But Ghira was already brushing past him, "Tell me on the way!" Hoping into his grav-speeder (a gift from Blake) and Tanner following suit in the seat behind him, he gunned the throttle and immediately turned towards the support tower. Weaving through pedestrians, he yelled a question over his shoulder. "So what happened?"

"Well sir, I was monitoring the airwaves like usual when the bandwidth usage skyrocketed. When I traced the source, I discovered that they all were military channels!"

"Which military?"

"That's the thing sir. There was at least a couple from each of them. The Atlesian 4th Fleet, the Valean Royal Skyrangers, the Mistralian 2nd Flotilla; by Salem, even the Vacuoan Dust Devils! And every single one was a mayday! The number of SOS calls just kept increasing. Then, about two minutes later, I was still listening when this horrible crack was heard! The network filled with static, then shut down! I immediately came to get you sir. Do you have any idea what happened?"

Ghira cursed under his breath, "The Atlesian 4th Fleet? But they're stationed right outside of Atlas." Once more turning to Tanner, he replied, "Something must have taken out one of the CCT towers."

Finally arriving, Ghira jumped off and dashed into the support tower. Just as the boy had said, the entire network was offline. Rushing back outside, he started sprouting orders. "I must gather the village council for a meeting, I need you to…" Whatever he was about to say was lost when a massive **CRACK** echoed over the Island. Turning to the North, he was just in time to see a flash of light slam into the stormy horizon. The sound wave hit them a moment later, flattening grass and sending wild animals scurrying for their dens. For the second time that day, Ghira felt his blood go cold. Mistralian warships routinely patrolled their borders for pirates or stray grimm.

Grabbing the spyglass he always kept handy, he peered toward the storm. Nothing at first, then, through the mist, the front of a Massive airship shuttered into view, its rear end trailing fire and smoke. The unique orange and brown paint adorning its hull identified it as a Mistralian cloudcutter-class warship. Seconds after its reveal, another flash of light slammed into the top of it hull, the shot easily pierced the dying vessel and splashed into the ocean. As for the ship, the force of the impact drove it another dozen meters towards the water it had been patrolling. Its energy pylons glowed red and black as the burn and gravity dust within strained to keep the ship's bulk in the sky. Sadly, it was for naught, for yet another flash of light slammed into the 125 meter long vessel. This shot hit a more heavily armored portion of the hull, but instead of saving the vessel, that fact doomed it. The shot, instead of piercing straight through like previous hits, shattered on impact, releasing dozens of broken shards into the vessel's engine, shredding the delicate components within. With a final, audible groan, the once mighty ship died. Power went out, and it dropped like a rock. Slamming into the ocean's surface, it was still for a moment, and then slowly started to sink.

Ghira and Tanner both stared in shock. Then Ghira's leader sense kicked in and screamed at him to do something. Turning toward the town he heard yelling and angry shouts. He stopped and analyzed the situation. ' _Attack on all four kingdoms. Targets seemed to be communications and military assets. No attacks on Menagerie, but then again Menagerie possesses no primary CCT tower, nor does it have any military.'_ Ghira snorted. ' _At least, not an official one… Still, he doesn't know what happened to the other kingdoms after the CCT network went down. They could be perfectly fine, or they could have been utterly destroyed. No Faunus was targeted, but once again, that might just be because they have nothing worth targeting. Then there's identity of the attacker. Could it be the white fang? No, they couldn't have done a job like this even at the height of their power, and they are now far from that time. Then who was it?'_ Throwing a couple of ideas around in his head before dismissing them for being too ridiculous, he realized he simply had too little information. And right now, there was only one way to get that info.

Turning to Tanner, he spoke, "Boy, I need you to go to the militia HQ and tell them to evacuate the townspeople to Mount Hollewelm."

"Evacuate?!" exclaimed the boy.

"Yes, evacuate! And that they should get the razors ready for action. Understood?" replied the chief.

The boy nodded in confirmation.

"Good, now go!"

And with that, the boy was sprinting off into the distance. Ghira, in turn, hoped back onto his speeder and headed for the town center. Upon arrival, he found not the chaotic mess as he had feared, but instead the majority of the town leaders gathered into a semi-circle around Kali. Meeting her eyes, they shared a smile. His quick-thinking wife had calmed the town in his absence.

Someone in the crowd apparently noticed him as well.

"Look, it's the chief!

At that, all eyes turned towards him.

He surveyed the crowd. Some looked calm, some worried, some scared, but they were all looking to him. Good, he would need their trust for this.

"I know you are all confused, to be honest, so am I. But I need you to do exactly what I say."

The crowd nodded.

I need all fishermen, and anyone who has a boat, to go prep it with medical supplies, life vests, blankets, and dry clothes. We're going to go see if there are any survivors."

He paused, now came the hard part.

"The rest of you need to gather as many belongings as you can and head to the militia headquarters. They will then take you to Mount Hollewelm."

Silence.

Then, a single question. "What do you mean?"

Ghira gazed deep into the eyes of the little wolf Faunus that had asked it.

"We're evacuating."

Instantly shouts rose from the crowd.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"This is our home!"

"I won't abandon my livelihood because a bunch of humans died!"

Ghira shouted to regain order, "Please, Please, Calm yourselves!" As the noise finally died down he continued, "This is only a temporary measure. We simply don't have enough information to know what happened, or what's going on. Once we do, we can decide on a more appropriate course of action. Until then, we must insure our own safety." As he stopped, he looked around. No one looked happy, but no one looked angry anymore. He did a mental shrug. It would have to do. "Everyone know what they're doing?" Receiving no negative response, he nodded. "Then get to it!" With that, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Within the hour the town was almost completely empty. One group was headed south, towards an ominous group of mountains, while a second group, consisting of a small fleet of fishing ships, headed north, towards a slowly sinking airship.

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I have big planes for this story, that is, if people like it.**

 **Just a small warning, this is an AU (duh) but, in later chapters you'll notice I've also changed some canon bits around. The main being that Ozpin never died. Why did I do this? Simple. I know nothing about Oscar. No one does. We've only ever seen him interact with a voice in his head. Not exactly the best way to learn someone's personality. I would have to create a whole other character for him. In other words, an OC. That kind of defeats the purpose of using a canon character. So, sorry Oscar fans, but the chances of seeing him are slim indeed.**

 **Reviews- Tell me what you think! Don't like it? Tell me why! Of course, don't be an ass about it. If you have a problem with it, I'm sure you are fully capable of telling me like a civilized human being. No need to screech like an angry monkey at a zoo. If you do so, you will promptly be ignored and your review deleted. I'm fine with constructive criticism, in fact, I encourage it, but there is a fine line between constructive criticism and flaming! Tell me what I did wrong so I can do better next time, or, if you have any questions, message me!**

 **Note- The author's note in this chapter is undoubtedly the longest in the entire story. No AU in this story will ever be this long again.**


	2. Hero

**I'm back! And so soon!**

 **If you haven't noticed, I've gone and updated the first chapter. I created and uploaded that at 1am, so in my tired state, I had missed a couple mistakes in my proof read. Waking up this morning, I noticed them and decided to fix them. So there you go! Thankfully, I should have a beta reader from now on, which means fewer mistakes! Yay!**

 **Now, I've gotten a guest review (please use an actual account, they're not very hard to make) that made a very good point. Dust does not work in space. I know that, and thankfully, have found a way to counter-act it. This solution also answers why dust only appears on Remnant and nowhere else in the galaxy. However, I won't be revealing the solution until we get to that point in the story. Mainly because revealing it would spoil half of said story. Regardless, do not fear, for I have a solution!**

 **Updating- I write whenever I can, so chances are you're going to get 1-2, maybe even 3 (don't expect that to happen very often), chapters a week. That being said, I have exams coming soon, so my uploads may slow down. Even with the slow pace, I will ALWAYS upload AT LEAST ONE chapter a week.**

 **Now, time for the story!**

 **Atlesian Naval Command (ANC), Atlas, Solita**

 **9:47pm, Month of the seedling, year 84 PGW**

Alarms were loud… and annoying...and, in this case, completely unnecessary. Everyone here already knew what was going on. At least, that was the opinion of the 5 foot, 4 inches tall, white-haired businesswoman that was briskly marching down the central hallway of the Atlesian Naval Headquarters. Despite the chaotic surroundings; filled with shouting, running, and, occasionally, shoving; she seemed completely calm. Indeed, she moved with such a sense of purpose that most individuals moved out of her way without realizing it. She was Weiss Schnee, and she was the most important person in the kingdom of Atlas, perhaps even the world.

She owns the world's economy of dust, and, as far as the average citizen is concerned, that makes her god.

Bursting through the doors of the command room she saw various generals and admirals were huddled around a holomap. Walking over to the bickering leaders, she caught a glimpse of the situation. Almost every fleet or base the Atlesians possessed was broadcasting a mayday or SOS. As she watched, yet another fleet started desperately calling for help.

"It's not just us."

Tearing her eyes away from the map, she turned to look at the man who had spoken to her. Sky Admiral Jet Sterling met her gaze. His normally kind, teal eyes resembled hardened diamonds as they borrowed into hers.

"It's happening all over the world," He continued. "To all the kingdoms."

She frowned. "What do we know?"

It was his turn to frown, "So far? Very little. Everything's getting hit by what appears to be extremely powerful long-ranged artillery."

"How long-ranged?"

"Long-ranged enough that our sensors can't even detect what direction they're coming from." was the curt reply.

Weiss thought for a moment, "Can we call for help?"

Sterling chuckled grimly, the pointed to the window, "I don't know if you noticed, but communications are a bit problematic right now."

She turned, and shock momentarily appeared on her normally immaculate face. For in the distance, the Atlesian CCT tower, the greatest and most heavily defended of the towers, had crumbled and fallen onto its side. Her frown deepened. She had been underground when the attack had occurred, and even then, she had felt the tremors caused by the bombardment. But when she emerged to find the city seemingly unscathed, she thought the attack had been repelled. Apparently, she was wrong.

"How?"

"Same way the rest of our forces are getting hit. I saw it with my own eyes. The rounds seemed to come from straight up. By Oum, if I didn't know better, I'd say they were launched from orbit.

"Orbit?" announced a young, yet loud, feminine voice. "Ha! I bet you believe that its aliens as well!" They turned to find Major General Kelly Murve sneering at them. Weiss turned away. She had met General Murve before, and was not impressed. A good tactician she may be, but her manners needed… improvement.

"Miss Murve, all I'm saying is that the angle of the shots seems to suggest a launch point higher in the sky."

"And **I** am telling you that is **impossible**. I'm a ground-pounder, and even I know that our warships operate at maximum height distance! Any higher and dust becomes useless! Hell, I bet my bottom lien that we're just dealing with some trick. A dangerous and admittedly effective trick, but still just a trick. Once we figure it out, we can retaliate!"

On that note, Weiss decided to put the meeting back on track. "Regardless of how, we're still being attacked. What are our options?"

An admiral at the other end of the table spoke up, "I suggest we recall all of our remaining forces to the capital, or any cities they can get to, and fortify as much as much as possible."

Yet another admiral (Admiral Gray, if she recalled correctly) joined in, "I disagree, artillery assaults are usually preludes to invasions. Our forces are scattered and broken. I suggest we evacuate, and prepare for a guerrilla campaign.

A general to the right grunted, "Have you seen the map? We barely have any forces left! And how do either of you intend to inform what few troops we **do** have of these orders? Communications are out, and are likely going to stay out for the foreseeable future!"

"Long range communications may be out, but short range work just fine," came Gray's reply.

At this point Weiss started to tune things out. She was merely here as an advisor. Grand strategy was not her domain. However, with the conversation not being focused on, she started to notice something. Her cup of coffee (which had been given to her at the beginning of the meeting) was trembling. Barely, but it was. Then she heard it, a soft hum permeating the air. Getting up from her seat, she moved towards the window and started to study the sky. It was overcast, so she was only met with dark clouds. That's when something emerged from those clouds, and her coffee cup shattered onto the floor. The act caught the attention of the meeting's attendees, and they all turned to her.

She gazed through the window of a few more moments, before announcing to the group, "I support Admiral Gray's plan of evacuation."

At that, the leaders expressed confusion. Weiss Schnee was not known for running away from fights.

"General Murve." At the sound of her name, she glanced towards Weiss inquisitively.

"It appears you owe Admiral Sterling some lien."

At that, the group's confusion quickly turned into curiosity, and they collectively moved towards the window. In turn, that curiosity turned to shock and horror when they saw what was now hovering over their beloved city.

A fleet of 16 ships hung over the snow-capped buildings. The attendees immediately observed three things about the ships. Each was covered in a dark black armor, with eerie green glows spread across the hulls. Each easily reached lengths of 450 meters. And each was unleashing hundreds of shuttles and dropships into the surrounding streets.

Atlas, one of the four great cities of Remnant, was being invaded.

It was not the only one. _

 **Beacon CCT Tower, Vale, Eastern Sanus**

 **9:26pm, Month of the seedling, year 84 PGW**

Beacon was under attack. Well, actually, it was only a small part of Beacon that was under attack. Specifically, the CCT tower. The rest of Beacon seemed to be unharmed. A fact that was extremely perplexing to Headmistress Goodwitch. However, she had other concerns at the moment. Even if it was just the tower being attacked, there were still a large number of students and staff inside said tower. The sound of three more shots slamming into the massive building emphasized the need to get them out.

As she rounded the corner of the dorms, she was just in time to see the (only recently rebuilt) top floor buckle, and start its seconds long journey to the ground. Seeing that the debris was going to block the entrance, she held out her riding crop and launched a surge of energy towards the shattered pieces. A simple flick of her wrist harmlessly redirected them into a grove of trees.

Panicked shouts caught her attention. Directing her gaze upward, she spotted a hole in the side of the building. It seems a group of particularly dull staff members had decided that the elevator was the best way to get down. They were now regretting that decision. A lucky shot had disabled the building's power, trapping the staff inside the elevator. Thankfully, said elevator had lost power right next to a massive hole in the wall, giving them access to the outside. By this time, all of the building' inhabitants were out, except these unfortunate fellows. Already there were some emergency workers setting up nets to catch them, for when they decide to jump. The trapped staff apparently reached the same conclusion and made ready to leap.

That was when life decided to give a giant "Fuck you" to the poor valeans. A loud, echoing groan filled the air. Everyone in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and looked up at the dying tower. The loud groan continued until their fears gave way to fruition. A dreadful _**CRACK**_ sounded as the building's last legs gave away, and the tower started to tip forward. Realizing that the completion of its fall would mean the deaths of everyone under it, Glynda surged forward. Summoning every last ounce of energy she had, she grabbed the tower, halting its collapse. But it was useless. Just seconds later, she could already feel her aura breaking under the strain. The tower was just too big. She needed help.

"Anyone who has the ability to do so, HOLD THE TOWER!"

Within moments, over a dozen other telekinesis-based semblances joined her struggle. Still, even with the added help, the building inched lower. They needed to speed this up.

"Everyone else, LEAVE NOW!"

And so they did. Within a minute, the tower's courtyard was devoid of living beings (except those holding the tower up).

Glynda spoke to the others, "Alright, on three we drop this and-"

A plea for help interrupted her.

Glynda turned to the tower and cursed. The staff in the elevator were still stuck there. The nets meant to save them laid flat on the ground, forgotten in the mad rush to escape. Realizing there was only one way to save them, she turned to the assisting students. Looking each in the eye, she nodded. Each of them were the best of their generation, unfearing, brave, and, above all, selfless. The future was in good hands.

"Go, save them."

A student made to protest, "Ma'am, we can-"

She cut him off, "No, you can't. I'm the only one capable of holding the tower for the time you need to rescue them. Go; prove my faith is not misplaced."

The students looked at her a moment, then nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"On three then. One, two, THREE!"

The second they let go, Glynda nearly buckled; the strain was truly massive. Gritting her teeth, she pushed back. In the corner of her eye, she saw the students were at work. Not even bothering with the nets, they instead just went and grabbed the staff members directly, and flung them the edge of the clearing. The second the last staff member was safe, they too, sprinted for safety.

Glynda watched them go, her vision darkening. Her aura screamed and burned, sheer agony ripping through her body, blood dripping from her eyes and mouth. Falling to one knee, she looked up. The tower was gaining speed as her strength waned. But it wasn't fast enough, and as the last student reached safety, she grinned through bloodied teeth.

"Make me proud."

Her aura finally shattered, and she screamed her victory to the world, her purpose complete.

The tower, now free of any obstacles, hurled towards its end. Slamming into the courtyard, it dug deep into the ground. The impact shook the surrounding city for miles around. The fall of the so recently rebuilt tower, also marked the arrival of the black ships -and their armies.

The students, now leaderless, turned towards the teachers. For their part, the teachers regarded the city. Seeing the hostile armies headed their way, and no help left in the vicinity, they made their decision. And so, the students and hunters of Vale (what could be described as a small army in its own right) fled into the Emerald Forest, towards the surrounding mountains. If they could not win in a straight-up fight, they would win another way.

They always have.

 **I had conflicted feelings writing that. On one hand, it shows the gravity of the situation, on the other, Glynda's awesome. In fact, I wasn't even planning to do that. I just thought of it midwriting. You're welcome. Of course, hunters are known for surviving some pretty crazy stuff…**

 **Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time!**


	3. resistance

**Hello my fellow fanfiction readers!**

 **I'm back! And as promised, I have the full chapter with me.**

 **Once again, I ask that reviews be published with an actual account. It's annoying not being able to respond to you guys.**

 **Now, on to the (finally) complete chapter!**

 **Travos Roadway, Base of Mount Harth, King's Mountain Range**

 **4:52 am, Month of storm, year 84 PGW (Two months after Prothean** **invasion)**

It was raining again.

Just like it had been of the past three weeks. The rain was a constant companion, and the men were used to it. Still, that didn't mean they liked it. They, and their equipment, were almost always soaked. And after so long without a chance to rest, the unpleasantness was starting to wear at their nerves. Everyone was on edge. Conversations were short, and tempers were even shorter. Still, they were the Valean Royal Guard. They would not give up. Truthfully, such an idea never even crossed their minds. They could not fail. Not now, when they were needed most.

Private 2nd class Asher Hill double checked his Zk-7 pulse rifle. It was an older variant, intended for town militia, but it was robust and reliable, and more importantly, it got the job done. Designed to fight 'light' grimm (Beowolfs, creeps, and the occasional ursa minor) it fired burn-infused 9mm rounds. Good for shredding furry grimm hide, but not much else. Of this group of 21 guardsmen, 14 were armed with this particular gun. The other seven were armed with the RIHIR GravRifles.

The GravRifles were fairly new in remnant's history, having been introduced only 8 years prior, during the grimm war. Apparently, some huntress had been watching the soldiers fight, and saw how the standard rifles were ill-suited to fighting the more heavily armored grimm. So she had gone a designed the GravRifle, and then sold it to the SDC, who, in turn, mass produced them, then they sold them to Remnant's various militaries. Within a year, it had become the most common gun issued to the kingdom's armed forces.

In essence, they were handheld railguns. Using a burst of gravity and lighting dust, they would launch a slug at ludicrous speeds, punching through almost anything in their path. They were capable of killing ursas in one shot (provided you hit the head or chest) and limb shots would remove that limb, no questions asked. Compared to the full magazine of bullets normally required, it was a vast improvement.

Then there was its unique type of ammo. As a gun that relies on speed and force to do the dirty work, it doesn't require traditional bullets. If its solid and it fits in the barrel, then it could be fired. That meant that things like rocks and large pebbles could be used. It also meant if supply lines were cut off, ammo was something the troops didn't have to worry about. Of course, it wasn't perfect. Things of particularly flimsy nature, like wood, tended to disintegrate when fired. And then there was the gun itself. While it could fire rocks and whatnot, the odd shapes and constantly different sizes would, over time, damage the barrel. That meant the accuracy would deteriorate the more it was fired, and would require constant maintenance.

However, the guard's real trump card was the TL-2 tank currently hiding on the small hill that overlooked the road.

During the panicked evacuation, someone had been smart enough to grab it. Considering the Remnant's rather dire situation, no one was complaining.

Shaped like a three-sided pyramid that happened to be lying on its side, it looked a bit odd. But looks aren't everything, and this tank proved it. Designed to move fast and hit hard, it could be devastating when used correctly. With two swiveling burn repeaters mounted on the sides, a large heavy impact cannon (tank-sized version of the GravRifle) situated on top, and a 65mph anti-grav generator, it was one of the most dangerous tools in Vale's arsenal. The Guards planned to put it to good use.

Asher's musings were interrupted when his short range radio sparked to life.

"Get ready boys, flathead patrol approaching! Looks like one IFV and two transport analogues."

Halting his weapon fiddling, Asher aimed towards were the newly nicknamed "flatheads" would be appearing.

Nothing. Silence and darkness greeted his helmet's visor. Everyone in the ambush waited with silent anticipation. Then, he heard it. A soft whine filled the air. He flicked off the safety. After a few more seconds of tense silence, their targets rounded the bend. His finger tensed on the trigger. Just as the lookout had said, three vehicles were steadily gliding over the concrete road, anti-grav drives glowing an eerie green. One was big and boxy, with a thick stubby gun perched on top. The other two were smaller, resembling a floating ball with small open-air troop compartments attached to the back. Inside the compartments he could see several armored flatheads, chatting among themselves. The flatheads were relaxed, confident in their superiority to the "primitives". The lack of attacks in this area also likely contributed to their lack of discipline. Asher smiled, time for a rude awakening.

His companions seemed to agree, evidenced by his radio sparking once more.

"You know what to do."

Asher mentally nodded.

"One"

His eyes narrowed.

"Two"

His finger twitched.

"Three!"

The battle was on.

The first sign of trouble for the Protheans was the massive **BOOM** echoing the air, and their forward IFV screeching to a stop. A slug from the TL-2's main cannon had impacted the IFV's front, shattering its kinetic barriers, and causing the hovering vehicle to slide several inches back. Still, the barriers had done their job, removing most of the force from the blast and keeping the vehicle active. It was an empty victory though, as mere seconds later dozens of bright red burn lasers blanketed the defenseless vehicle, melting armor and systems alike. One lucky shot impacted the right side anti-grav drive, causing the IFV to list and start turning. To the crew's credit, they reacted fast, and moments later the turret was turning towards the now revealed TL-2. It meant nothing though, as another slug from the LT-2's cannon was already on the way. The IFV, now defenseless, could do nothing the round tore through its thin armor and slammed into the engine. With that final blow, the IFV erupted into a fireball, temporarily illuminating the surrounding firefight.

Speaking of the firefight, the surrounding troops had not been idle. When the attack commenced, several guardsmen had tossed grenades at the convoy. Four had been tossed at the first transport. One fell short, but the rest were successful in rolling underneath it. Another 2 had been tossed at the second transport. One bounced of the hull, but the other landed in the troop compartment. Five seconds and a lot of panicked Prothean yells later; they detonated.

The one with grenades under it was first. A massive fireball erupted under the transport. While the vehicles kinetic barriers protected the vulnerable underbelly from shrapnel, it did nothing against the heat from the burn dust or the force from the blast. The already hovering vehicle was launched five feet in the air, before returning to the earth upside down, its underbelly half melted.

The other transport was less lucky. The grenade it was carrying detonated in the midst of half a dozen confused Protheans. The powerful blast caught the entire compartment, shredding three Prothean's barriers, and weakening the rest. Seconds later, the seven guards holding GravRifles opened fire against the transport's barriers. Under the constant barrage of weapons intended to one-shot ursa majors, they failed in short order. The Protheans inside said transport were now completely exposed. The fourteen other guardsmen didn't hesitate. The poor Protheans were scythed down in seconds.

However, the battle wasn't over. Three Protheans that were in the first transport had survived their vehicle's airtime, and were now fighting back. Their precise and accurate fire slammed into two guardsmen, forcing them into cover as their aura struggled to repel the deadly blows. Realizing the threat, the other guardsmen shifted their fire. One abnormally fast guardsman shot his GravRifle before the Protheans could get back in cover. The Prothean's barriers, already weakened by the crash and various glancing blows, were useless, and his upper chest disappeared into a fine yellowish mist. The other Protheans huddled behind their flimsy cover, trying not to get hit. Or they were, right up until the LT-2 made its presence known by blowing them to smithereens with its cannon. And with that, the valeans were victorious. The whole battle took less than five minutes.

The Guardsmen left Travos Roadway with high spirits- and extra slightly damaged transport filled with captured Prothean weapons. As far as Asher was concerned, it was a good day. And as he looked over his fellow comrades in arms, laughing as they boasted about how many flatheads they killed or who looked the most awesome, he noted that the rain didn't seem to be bothering anyone anymore.

 **Heavy Cruiser** _ **Fury of Ventouraus**_

 **19:38 Star-Cycle 09.2.3295** **PE**

 **In low Remnant orbit**

The mood on the bridge was of hushed urgency, as crew men darted between stations and consoles. The urgency was considered normal, as it came with the territory of commanding a battlegroup. Even one as undersized as their own. However, the hushed part was due to the meeting going on around the war-map. Said meeting consisted of the senior officers of the battlegroup, as well as the Void Admiral himself. Since the occupation, numerous issues had presented themselves, and it was time to solve them.

For now, the meeting was silent, as the various attendees surveyed the map. Territory controlled by the Empire were colored green, contested or uncertain areas were grey, and a few spots of red denoted the locations of the extremely dangerous wildlife- or _Grimm,_ as the locals referred to them.

The silence only lasted a few seconds till being broken by the Void Admiral.

"As you can see," he started, "we are behind schedule."

Indeed, grey encompassed most of the map, with green occupying only the cities and a few outlying outposts.

His eyes traced each person in front of him. "Why?"

"The problem is their villages," supplied Ground General Jenscik, "they're constantly moving, and resupplying the rebels."

"So take the villages!" exclaimed Captain Cenjek, commander of one of their five light cruisers.

"It's not that simple," replied Jenscik, "Every time we try, they just ambush us until we either die, or leave."

"Is there any way we can track the rebels?" asked Admiral Sivect.

"Track them? Difficult. Beat them? Even more so."

At the Admiral's raised eyeridge, he elaborated.

"They know the terrain far better than we do, and they use it to their advantage. If they see us coming, they just fade away. They also attack with overwhelming force; our own forces rarely have time to call for backup. By the time backup **does** arrive, the battle's usually over, and the rebels gone. I've had to increase patrol sizes three times already just to ensure our men have a fighting chance. It's not working. Then there's the fact that their troops are just better than ours, especially those hunters. Every time they appear, my troops are slaughtered."

Sivect nodded, "I've suspected as much. Our battlegroup is undersized. We weren't expecting such resistance, nor were we expecting the wildlife to be hostile. Combined with the fact that we don't have as much men as we're used to, it makes sense that things aren't going to plan. Unfortunately, the majority of our forces are still in heavy combat with the Metacon, so reinforcements are unlikely for the time being."

He paused as the officers around him nodded.

"The fact is we've been trying to take far too much, with far too little. We simply can't conquer the entire planet with our current amount of forces. Now, here is what we're going to do. First, decrease the range of our ground patrols, only the four cities immediate surroundings need monitoring. No more long range patrols. If you feel the need to go deeper into the wilderness, do so with aircraft; even frigates if need be. Next, shore up our defenses. I don't want any rebels getting into the cities or our dust mines. Concentrate our forces in these area. Make attacking them a suicide mission. Lastly, gather some 'volunteers' to study aura. I want to know what it is, its weaknesses and strengths, and if we can use it. Those hunters need to be dealt with. Understood?"

Looking around to see mutual nodding, he concluded.

"Good. Understand, this is temporary. We only hold power of a small portion of Remnant, but as fighting on the frontlines dies down, more and more forces will join us. That is when we will begin expanding. The Emperor himself is monertoring our progress, we cannot fail."

_ **codex-**

IFV: **I** nfantry- **F** ighting- **V** ehicle

Flatheads: Human and Faunus nickname for Protheans **_**

 **That was fun.**

 **Here's the situation. The Protheans own all major cities, but due to the grimm (and the fact that it's hard to keep track of villages that are constantly moving), they have yet to secure outside of cities. As I hinted in the last chapter, the people of Remnant are going with a guerilla campaign to fight the Protheans. It's working so far, but how long will that last?**

 **I have gone back and corrected several spelling errors from the last couple chapters.**

 **Question- I white these chapters on Word 10, and I always include borders to separate story sections. Yet, when I upload them to , they seemingly up and vanish. Does anyone know how to fix that?**

 **Goodbye and I'll see you later!**

 **Extra cookie points if you can guess who designed the GravRifle!**


End file.
